Lead House Administration Democrat Endorses FCC AI Political Ad Disclosure NPRM

House Administration Committee ranking member Joseph Morelle, D-N.Y., offered “strong support” Monday for FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel's embattled AI political ad disclosures NPRM (see 2407250046). Morelle and other House Democrats previously supported the proposal during an event last week but indicated they would like the FCC to go further on AI regulation if Congress can delegate that authority to the agency (see 2409110065). “I commend the [FCC] for taking this necessary step towards regulating the use of AI in political communications, as the absence of effective guardrails presents a clear and present danger to the information ecosystem in the upcoming election,” Morelle said in a letter to Rosenworcel that we obtained. He would also back the FCC engaging in “future rulemaking to regulate this technology in political communications.” The “current lack of regulation that specifically addresses political advertisements could easily be exploited by candidates for office and dark money groups attempting to confuse and manipulate voters,” Morelle said: Political “candidates have already attempted to manipulate voters by using AI” and its use “in campaign advertisements will only increase” as the Nov. 5 election approaches. “The American public deserves to know whether the political advertisements they see on television or hear on the radio have been manipulated by generative AI,” he said. “Campaign-related disclosures, like those in the Proposed Rule, are critical to ensuring that voters” are fully informed. “Deterring the untoward use of AI by bad actors for political gain during this and future election cycles requires a whole-of-government approach, and I hope that other agencies will soon follow.”